A dog that belonged to the victim of a fatal crash has joined the Miami-Dade Police force.
Bear, a young German Shepherd who belonged to Diego and Maritza Medina, has successfully completed the K-9 police certification course and has been assigned to a Miami-Dade Police handler.
Martiza Medina was killed in a Sept. 18 crash in the area of Griffin Road and U.S. 27, when shooting suspect Antonio Feliu collided with her vehicle.
Feliu, who shot and killed two women in South Miami Heights, lead police on a pursuit into Broward County, where his SUV slammed into Medina's vehicle and ejected her from her car at the intersection.
Despite officers' efforts to give her CPR, Medina, 48 died at the scene. Feliu died from a self-inflicted gunshot wound.
After his wife's death, Diego Medina remembered a conversation they had about donating Bear to a law enforcement agency. Bear underwent several evaluations and assessments to determine if he was fit for duty, and was finally certified by the Florida Department of Law Enforcement.
"The MDPD would like to thank the Medina family as Bear proudly continues to honor Mrs. Medina’s memory while working as a part of our police family," the department said in a statement.
